Early look · NHL 2026-27

New York Rangers at Utah Mammoth: game preview

NY RangersRangers2026-27: 4-1-0 · 8 pts · 2025-26: 34-39-9 · 77 pts · 30that

UtahMammoth2026-27: 3-1-0 · 6 pts · 2025-26: 43-33-6 · 92 pts · 15th

Puck drop9 Mar · 9:00 PM ET

VenueDelta Center

All-time meetings5 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Fifteen points apart last season

NY Rangers finished last season 30th in the league on 77 points. Utah finished 15th on 92, and the 2025-26 season series went UTA 2-0-0.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 6

Across 5 completed games, Utah lead the head-to-head 3-1-0.

All-time record3-1-0Utah's record in the series

Meetings played5This is number 6

2025-26 seriesUTA 2-0-0

Last 53-2Utah

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

4 OctUTA 2 – NYR 430–22UTA 1/2 · NYR 0/4NYR

5 Jan 2026UTA 3 – NYR 2 OT27–24UTA 0/1 · NYR 2/3UTA

22 Nov 2025NYR 2 – UTA 322–34NYR 0/2 · UTA 0/1UTA

16 Jan 2025NYR 5 – UTA 325–31NYR 0/3 · UTA 1/3NYR

12 Oct 2024UTA 6 – NYR 5 OT26–34UTA 1/4 · NYR 1/3UTA

Head-to-head finder

The table on each meeting night

DateNY RangersUtah

22 Nov 202510-11-2 · 22 pts26th11-8-3 · 25 pts18th

5 Jan 202620-18-6 · 46 pts18th20-20-3 · 43 pts26th

4 Oct3-1-0 · 6 pts1st2-1-0 · 4 pts9th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 22 Nov 2025, NY Rangers were 26th in the league and Utah 18th. By 4 Oct it was 1st and 9th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Utah out-attempted NY Rangers 312 to 296

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

New York Rangers

296 att · 127 on goal · 18 G · 14.2%

Crease22 att · 2 G

Slot123 att · 11 G

Wing96 att · 3 G

Point48 att · 1 G

Neutral zone7 att · 1 G

Utah Mammoth

312 att · 148 on goal · 17 G · 11.5%

Crease24 att · 7 G

Slot119 att · 8 G

Wing113 att · 2 G

Point48 att · 0 G

Neutral zone8 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

NY Rangers and Utah are level on chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

NY RangersUtah

3.44xG for per game3.62

2.77xG against per game2.71

55.4%xG share57.2%

−1.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.5

+5.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.8

This season: 5 games for NY Rangers, 4 for Utah. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

NY Rangers

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2721.4%

Power play · 2025-2624.7% · 5th

Power play · last 5 meetings3/15 · 20.0%

Penalty kill · 2026-2787.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2679.9% · 15th

Faceoffs · 2026-2752.2% · 151/289

Drawn · 2026-2714 (2.80/gm)

Drawn · last meetings15 (3.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (3.20/gm)

PP goals · last meetings3

Utah

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2761.5%

Power play · 2025-2620.0% · 18th

Power play · last 5 meetings3/11 · 27.3%

Penalty kill · 2026-2792.9%

Penalty kill · 2025-2678.1% · 19th

Faceoffs · 2026-2753.0% · 124/234

Drawn · 2026-2713 (3.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings11 (2.20/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2714 (3.50/gm)

PP goals · last meetings3

Skaters

Artemi Panarin has 7 points in the last 5 meetings

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.

In the last meetings

See all: In the last meetings →

PlayerGPGAPSOG

10Artemi Panarin452712

9Clayton Keller533616

23Adam Fox50667

8Nick Schmaltz514514

44Vladislav Gavrikov32248

13Alexis Lafrenière513415

27Barrett Hayton513411

93Mika Zibanejad50445

63Matias Maccelli22138

50Will Cuylle512312

Head-to-head finder

Artemi Panarin vs Utah · game by game

See all: Artemi Panarin vs Utah · game by game →

DateVenueGAPSOGTOI

5 Jan 2026home022324:56

22 Nov 2025away101122:37

16 Jan 2025away202418:32

12 Oct 2024home202424:17

Last 5 meetings7 P5 G, 2 A · 12 SOG

Next best6 PClayton Keller, UTA

2025-26 season57 P52 GP · 19 G

Blank vs UTA0 of 4A point in every meeting

Full game log

Goaltending

Karel Vejmelka has started most of these meetings

Karel Vejmelka played 4 of the last 5 meetings with NY Rangers, with a .879 save percentage. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

NY Rangers

Expected starter after their game on 7 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Utah

Expected starter after their game on 7 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Igor Shesterkin

See all: Igor Shesterkin →

NYR · 3-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Mar

SV% · 2026-27.9264 GP · 1.75 GAA · 2025-26 .912

vs Utah.8854 app · 96 SA · 11 GA

GSAx · 2026-27+4.64 starts · most on the roster

vs UTAVenueSAGASV%

4 Octhome302.933

5 Jan 2026home901.000

16 Jan 2025away313.903

12 Oct 2024home266.769

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Dylan Garand 1.000 (1 GP)

Full game log

Karel Vejmelka

See all: Karel Vejmelka →

UTA · 2-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Mar

SV% · 2026-27.9133 GP · 2.02 GAA · 2025-26 .897

vs NY Rangers.8794 app · 91 SA · 11 GA

GSAx · 2026-27+1.73 starts · most on the roster

vs NYRVenueSAGASV%

4 Octaway213.857

5 Jan 2026away242.917

22 Nov 2025home222.909

16 Jan 2025home244.833

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Sebastian Cossa .947 (1 GP)

Full game log

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 5.9 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

4 Oct6 · UTA 2–4 NYR

5 Jan 20265 · UTA 3–2 NYR

22 Nov 20255 · NYR 2–3 UTA

16 Jan 20258 · NYR 5–3 UTA

12 Oct 202411 · UTA 6–5 NYR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

NY Rangers3.201.602.903.05

Utah4.252.003.272.93

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest5.9Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings7.0Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

6 on the injury lists

NY Rangers · injuries

Adam SykoraLower BodyIRReturn25 Jan

Aidan ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Joe VelenoLower BodyIRReturn13 Oct

Joonas KorpisaloLower BodyIRReturn9 Oct

Utah · injuries

Maveric LamoureuxShoulderIRReturn12 Feb

Mikhail SergachevUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

6 Oct · NYR

Recalled C Gabriel Beaudoin from Hartford (AHL). Placed C Joe Veleno on injured reserve.

5 Oct · NYR

Placed D Matthew Robertson on waivers.

1 Oct · NYR

Placed G Joonas Korpisalo on injured reserve. Recalled G Dylan Garand from Hartford (AHL).

27 Sep · UTA

Placed LW Ben McCartney on waivers.

25 Sep · UTA

Assigned Fs Yegor Borikov, Caleb Desnoyers, Tij Iginla, Gabe Smith and G Michael Hrabal to Tucson (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Fs Brandon Tanev and Joshua Roy and D Zac Jones.

23 Jul 2026 · UTA

Signed D Max Psenicka to a three-year contract.

Injury report

NY Rangers · 2026 draft

See all: NY Rangers · 2026 draft →

#5Alberts SmitsRound 1 · MunchenD

#64Benjamin MacBeathRound 2 · CalgaryD

#67Danai ShaiikovRound 3 · GatineauG

#77Charlie MorrisonRound 3 · QuebecD

Full draft

Utah · 2026 draft

See all: Utah · 2026 draft →

#17Ethan BelchetzRound 1 · WindsorLW

#96Adam ValentiniRound 3 · MichiganC

#115Carl AxelssonRound 4 · MuskegonG

#130Theodor KnightsRound 5 · Modo Jr.D

Full draft

Tuesday 9 March · the full slate

See all: Tuesday 9 March · the full slate →

UTAThis game 10:30 PM ET

SJSat

VGK

Scores

Updated after every final

New York Rangers at Utah Mammoth: game preview

Fifteen points apart last season

Meeting number 6

Last 5 meetings

The table on each meeting night

Utah out-attempted NY Rangers 312 to 296

New York Rangers

Utah Mammoth

NY Rangers and Utah are level on chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

NY Rangers

Utah

Artemi Panarin has 7 points in the last 5 meetings

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

In the last meetings

Artemi Panarin vs Utah · game by game

Karel Vejmelka has started most of these meetings

Igor Shesterkin

Karel Vejmelka

Scoring rates point to about 5.9 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

6 on the injury lists

NY Rangers · injuries

Utah · injuries

Latest moves

NY Rangers · 2026 draft

Utah · 2026 draft

Tuesday 9 March · the full slate